Are you having trouble navigating Blender in your native language? Changing the language in Blender is actually quite easy and can be done in just a few simple steps. In this article, we will walk you through the process of changing the language of the Blender interface, and the benefits of doing so.
To change the language in Blender, go to Edit > Preferences and go into the Interface settings. Next, find the translation section and choose from the available languages in the drop down menu.
But which languages are available in Blender, and what parts of the application can you translate? Let's get into that now.
There are numerous reasons as to why changing the language in Blender could be beneficial. Of course, this could make the program accessible to thousands of more users who might not be fluent in English or simply find it more intuitive in another language.
Moreover, you could also choose to change it if you are learning a new language and would like to become more fluent with 3D-specific terms by using them on a day-to-day basis.
However, changing the language in Blender can also come with some drawbacks that should be considered. A large majority of the online Blender community is in English, meaning that communication between other users for help or feedback may be reduced.
Similarly, while tutorials and educational content also exist in other languages, the available content is very limited. If you choose to change the language in Blender while following English tutorials, you may not be able to find certain properties, tabs, or options due to there being a language barrier.
Blender currently has 29 available languages to choose from. As some of these are relatively newer than others, they might not yet be fully translated as of yet.
All content is fully translated:
For these, most content is translated, but certain terms remain in English:
Some content is translated, but most terms remain in English:
Within the 'Translation' settings in the preferences tab there are three checkboxes for what to affect with the translation; tooltips, interfaces, and new data.
Checking or unchecking these boxes allows you to control what parts of Blender are translated and what parts aren't.
Enabling 'tooltips' translates the text shown in the small floating box that pops up when a user hovers over a setting:
Enabling 'interface' affects the rest of the program, including the names of the tools, operations, menus. editors, name of new materials/objects/collections, etc. However, the names of previously made materials, objects, and collections remain in the original language they were created in but can be edited and changed by the user to whatever language they prefer.
Selecting only 'new data' and not 'interface' means only newly added objects, materials, etc. are given a name in the translated language. Alternatively, enabling 'interface' but not 'new data' would mean all new objects are given an original English name while the interface itself is translated.
So whether you prefer using Blender in your native language or you are trying to get comfortable with a newly learned language, changing this setting might make your Blender journey much more enjoyable, so you can focus on what really matters: learning and creating.
Thanks for taking your time to go through this article, and happy Blending!
